A Profile of the Growing Black Immigrant Population in the United States

Black immigrants, estimated at 4,685,000 people in 2024, are a highly diverse population that has grown at a faster pace than the overall foreign-born population in the United States. Their regions and countries of origin have also shifted in recent decades, from majority Latin American and Caribbean (heavily Caribbean) to, very recently, equal shares for those born in Latin America and the Caribbean and those born in Africa.

This fact sheet uses the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to explore the characteristics of the Black immigrant population in the United States. It offers information on these immigrants' top countries of origin, where in the United States they live, immigration status, education levels, languages spoken, and workforce and household characteristics.

Overall, the data paint a picture of a Black immigrant population that is generally highly educated, English speaking, and made up of significant contributors to the U.S. economy.